Well I price things 25 to 50% high and since all buyers dearly love and must
have "a bargain" -- they offer me a riduclous low ball offer.
We barter, shout, accuse each other of taking food from our childrens mouth
etc
Finally we agree on the price I would have sold it for to start with.
They snicker as they take away the treasure and just know they beat me down.
I snicker as it worked again -- seldom fails.

All this is not limited to Hams -- it is an international practice. In some
countries they have no respect for you if you don't go thru the drill of
bartering. I have experienced this same drill in the good old USA for used
goods, flea markets, newspaper ads, et al.

We all have heard:
I just went to the sale -- saved $40
He/she started at $100 I stole it for $75
The guy/gal was desperate sold it for $50 less
I can turn around and sell this for a profit
on and on goes the bartering process

Ya know they gonna low ball you so start high and spend the time to
bargain -- old american custom, everyone walks away happy.


--
Lamont Cranston


I had a similar experience several years ago. I went to the local
once-a-month ham radio sidewalk sale and had a really clean, nice
working Hallicrafters S-40 for sale. This guy walks up and offers me $25
less than what I was asking. I refused. He said I would never get the
asking price and would be lucky to get what he was offering. I said if
it did not sell, HamCom was comming up in a couple of weeks and the
price there would be even higher. He stomped off but came back a few
minutes later and lays down the amount he offered and picked up the
radio. I ask just what the H did he think he was doing. "I am buying the
radio". I informed him that my asking price still stood and please put
the radio back and take his money and go somewhere else. Now he is
really POed.
Well as luck would have it he saw the radio at my table at HamCom marked
up at almost twice what I was asking at the sidewalk sale. He looked it
over and walked away only to come back about an hour later, with money
in had, to find the set was gone and asked if I had sold it. "Yep" I
smiled, "and at the asking price too". Doncha just luv these clowns?